Fiji Congratulates CGF On 90 Years

8/20/20

The Fiji Association of Sports and National Olympic Committee (FASANOC), who is also the Fiji Commonwealth Games Association, congratulates the Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF), which celebrated its 90th Anniversary earlier this week (16th August, 2020).

It was on 16 August 1930, in the Canadian city of Hamilton, Ontario, that the Opening Ceremony of the first ever British Empire Games, now known as the Commonwealth Games, took place at the Civic Stadium.

The Commonwealth Games is an international multi-sport event involving athletes from the Commonwealth of Nations.

While the records show that Fiji did compete in the 1938 British Empire Games, it wasn’t until after the official formation of the Fiji Amateur Sports Association (FASA) in 1949, that saw Team Fiji march out at the Opening Ceremony of the 1950 Commonwealth Games which were held in Auckland, New Zealand.  

Since then Fiji has competed in all but three Commonwealth Games, missing only 1990, 1994 and 2010 due to Fiji’s suspension from the Commonwealth during these years.

FASANOC Chief Executive, Lorraine Mar said that Fiji had a rich history as a Commonwealth Games Association, having won 4 Gold, 5 Silver and 10 Bronze medals since 1950, in the sports of Athletics, Boxing, Rugby Sevens and Weightlifting.

In a blog, Dame Louise Martin DBE, the President of the Commonwealth Games Federation, said that the Commonwealth Sporting Movement has grown from strength to strength.   She said that as “we reflect on the past, we can remain hopeful and confident that our Sporting Movement has a bright future, that will allow us to build peaceful, sustainable and prosperous communities across the Commonwealth.”

As part of its reformation program towards a Modern Commonwealth, the CGF has re-branded itself as Commonwealth Sport.

Meanwhile FASANOC has welcomed the decision made by the Organizing Committee of Birmingham 2022 to reject the idea of pushing the Commonwealth Games back to 2023 after the Athletes' Village was scrapped.

The US$653 million Village, which was being constructed on the former Birmingham City University site in Perry Barr, was abandoned after a review into the impact of the coronavirus pandemic found it could not be delivered on time.

In a virtual press briefing held last week after the announcement, Birmingham 2022 Chief Executive,

Ian Reid revealed delaying the Games had been discussed but it was not considered to be a feasible option.   "Clearly, the sporting calendar has moved significantly, and that 2023 calendar is busier than ever.   Therefore, we thought we would be compromised in terms of athlete attendance and the standard of competition, which was not something we were willing to do."

Delaying Birmingham 2022 by a year would result in a clash with the 2023 World Athletics Championships, for example, with competition scheduled to take place from August 19 to 27 in Budapest.

The Athletes' Village was set to provide accommodation for 6,500 athletes and team officials.

Instead, 1,600 athletes and officials are set to be housed in three complexes at the NEC Hotel Campus, with 1,900 at The University of Warwick and around 2,800 athletes and officials at the principal village at The University of Birmingham.

FASANOC is looking forward to participating in the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games and has called to Expression of Interests for the Chef de Mission for Team Fiji to the Games.

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